The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700/week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer.
The internship between the first and second years of the award provides the scholars with hands-on, practical experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities. Awards also include travel funds to attend a mandatory NOAA Scholarship Program orientation and the annual Science & Education Symposium, scientific conferences where students present their research, and a housing subsidy for scholars who do not reside at home during the summer internship.
Hollings Alumni report that the experience influenced their academic and career paths, expanded their professional networks and improved their skills for working in NOAA mission fields. 100% of Hollings Scholars surveyed said that they would recommend this opportunity to other students.
Lessons from Loowit: Changes to nutrient cycling and biological productivity in the new Spirit Lake
James E. Gawel Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering, School of interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington-Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA
Thursday, October 19, 2017 4:00 PM Fishery Sciences Building, Room 102 no open advising in the FSH lobby this week, but drop-in advising available in FSH 116 – main office from 3:15-4:00 pm
Abstract: Spirit Lake was changed biologically, chemically and physically by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the concurrent landslide that essentially buried the old lake and created a new one in its place. Recent changes to the surrounding watershed, spurred by ever-increasing regrowth of terrestrial vegetation, continue to alter the biogeochemistry of Spirit Lake. This talk will outline over a decade of work developing a hydrologic and nutrient model for the lake and discuss preliminary work to elucidate the ecological role of the floating logs in Spirit Lake.
Bio: Dr. Jim Gawel is Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma. Jim got his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Brown University with an emphasis in Environmental Problems and Planning, and his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT. He has been teaching and doing research with undergraduates at UW Tacoma for 18 years. Jim is also the President of the Washington Lake Protection Association (WALPA), and has been working with WALPA to develop a state-wide volunteer lake monitoring program. In his spare time he teaches rock climbing for the Mountaineers.
We hope you’ve all had a productive summer, and are getting back into the swing of things on campus. As the famous adage goes, “time and tide wait for no one,” so we are super excited to take advantage of the momentum we’ve got going in setting up the UW Shellfish Farm in just a few weeks!
We’ve got cages built, and thousands of baby oysters ready to be planted onto the beach at Big Beef Creek, so all we need is YOUR HELP. We’ll be holding a meeting this coming Wednesday, October 18th, at 5:30pm @ SAFS to coordinate our big field day, discuss upcoming oyster farm field trips, and to elect new officers for this academic year.
We hope you can join. There will be pizza.
Once again:
Wednesday, October 18th
5:30pm-7:30pm
Room TBD (either FSH or FTR)
Tell your friends, and see you soon!
Dan, Laura, Megan, Ethen, & Grace (your executive committee)
Large whale satellite telemetry: A tool for determining habitat-use, distribution, and behavior of endangered whale populations.
Amy S. Kennedy, Ph D JISAO and NOAA/NMFS/AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory, Seattle, WA
Thursday, October 12, 2017 4:00 PM Fishery Sciences Building, Room 102 Open advising – with guests from UW Study Abroad hosted in FSH lobby from 3:15-4:00 pm
Over the past decade, NOAA’s Marine Mammal Laboratory (MML) and JISAO scientists have partnered with local and international organizations to conduct satellite telemetry research on large whales in order to describe their fine-scale movement and habitat-use. In addition to ecological studies, projects detailing the physical and physiological effects of tagging on individuals and populations have been conducted. North Pacific right whales, humpbacks, and gray whales were tagged with the implantable configurations of SPOT5 and MK-10a transmitters produced by Wildlife Computers. The cylindrical tags are designed to penetrate the dorsal surface of the whale’s body and anchor in the blubber/muscle fascia. External components of the tag are made of surgical quality stainless steel and are sterilized prior to deployment. Results from these projects show that satellite telemetry is a powerful tool for collecting fine-scale movement data (particularly in remote areas) that cannot be obtained or predicted in any other manner. We found that while whales aggregate in well-known areas, there can be substantial individual movement variation within seasons. Results also show that whales are routinely crossing international borders, reinforcing the need for multinational collaboration when managing these endangered animals. Finally, our research has contributed greatly to improving tag designs and deployment techniques that minimize the physical impacts of tagging and maximize the longevity of transmission.
Bio
Dr. Amy Kennedy is a research scientist with JISAO at the Marine Mammal Marine Laboratory (a division of NOAA Fisheries) in Seattle, WA (USA). After receiving her doctorate from the University of Paris, Dr. Kennedy’s research goals have focused on telemetry-driven research and development, with emphasis on fine-scale cetacean habitat-use within high human impact regions and/or marine protected areas. Since she began tagging whales in 2009, she has deployed Argos-monitored implantable satellite tags (deployed using the Air Rocket Transmission System, ARTS) in humpback, right and gray whales in the Chukchi and Bering Seas, Gulf of Maine, Straits of Magellan, Dominican Republic, Arabian Sea, South Africa, Brazil, and the French West Indies. Dr. Kennedy’s current research focuses on using telemetry data to describe large whale habitat-use in breeding and feeding grounds.
It’s the SeaDawgs here and we would love to formally invite you to our Fall Meeting! We will be talking about many things and want to ‘sea’ your faces there! Come check it out and see what we are all about! Check out the flyer attached to see all the important information! The meeting is October 18th at 4:30 pm in the Fisheries Building in Room 108!
Abby von Hagel is a student from Seattle in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program pursuing a Major in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a Minor in Marine Biology with plans to graduate in 2019. We talked with Abby to find out what inspires her to study marine biology and to learn how an introductory course led to her researching at the UW’s marine field station at Friday Harbor Labs.
If you are interested in making marine biology part of your studies, fieldwork or research, contact the Marine Biology Academic Adviser Joe Kobayashi at marbiol@uw.edu.
Sara Galer
Doing fieldwork at Eagle Cove, San Juan Island as a part of the spring ZOO-BOT quarter
How and why did you come to minor in Marine Biology?
During my first quarter at the University of Washington, I was part of a FIG that included the Marine Biology 250 course. It was then that I learned about things such as Coriolis forces, shark reproduction, and bioluminescence, incorporating a broad range of disciplines and piquing my interest in the Marine Biology minor. The addition of the minor has allowed me to thrive in small hands-on courses, presented research opportunities, and allowed me to develop close professional connections to professors and other marine scientists.
Why do you think marine biology is an important field?
In my opinion, most teaching examples used in biology classes at the University of Washington are based on terrestrial organisms. Given that the oceans compose 99% of the earth’s biosphere, I think marine biology research makes an important contribution to our understanding of life on earth. Whether discovering green fluorescent protein biomarkers in jellyfish, investigating the biomimetic potential of clingfish discs, or evaluating the effect of ocean acidification on marine invertebrates, scientists have learned much from studying marine organisms. I am constantly amazed by how much there is still left to learn about life in the oceans.
How does the minor in Marine Biology relate to, or inform your major?
By minoring in Marine Biology I am able to apply the broad conceptual ideas of chemistry, physics, or physiology to a specific study system. For example, I was able to use my knowledge of osmoregulation in marine and freshwater fish to conceptualize the effect of excessive sodium on the human renal system.
What has been the most interesting course you have taken so far for the marine biology minor?
My favorite classes that I have taken so far for the marine biology minor were the courses that I took while at Friday Harbor Laboratories, particularly Biology of Fishes with Dr. Matthew Kolmann and Marine Invertebrate Zoology with Dr. Megan Dethier. Both these courses took full advantage of the opportunities offered at the labs, with small interactive lectures, multiple trips into the field, and access to lab sea tables filled with organisms.
Hyejoo Ro
Abby attending to outdoor mesocosm experiments at Friday Harbor Labs.
How have you been involved with research in Marine Biology?
I have been involved with a variety of research projects that work with marine organisms. I was part of a student research team that designed and carried out an experiment dealing with trophic interactions in eelgrass meadows. I had the opportunity to present this research at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium and to the Samish Department of Natural Resources. Currently, I am using micro-CT scanning to analyze how snailfish (Liparidae) bone structure varies along a depth gradient, which I plan to present at the upcoming Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) conference. This summer, I have been working on fieldwork experiments with Dr. Megan Dethier examining Manilla clam recruitment and survival as well as working in the lab of Dr. Adam Summers generating CT images of fishes and creating a publicly accessible database of all CT scan data as part of the NSF-funded oVert project.
A. von Hagel
Micro-CT scan of the snailfish Allocareproctus tanix (lateral view).
Do you have any recommendations for UW students interested in Marine Biology?
My first recommendation to other UW students interested in Marine Biology would be to find a way to become actively involved with a lab or organization focused on marine organisms. Gaining experience with fieldwork, outreach, or work in a lab setting provides useful connections and an idea of the type of work conducted by marine scientists. Don’t be afraid to talk to advisors, researchers, and professors about your specific research interests, the University of Washington has a many great of resources for those interested in marine science.
What are your future goals after graduating from the UW?
My experience working in a research environment as an undergraduate has encouraged me to pursue a graduate program that would allow me to continue conducting research both in the lab and the field. Eventually, I hope to obtain a doctorate degree and explore questions related to functional mechanisms in marine organisms.
The impact of density-dependent changes in individual life histories on marine population dynamics
André M. de Roos Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Thursday, October 5, 2017 4:00 PM Fishery Sciences Building, Room 102 Open advising about undergraduate programs hosted in FSH lobby from 3:30-4:00 pm
Historically, models describing the dynamics and management of marine populations are based on assumptions that poorly reflect the ecology of and the complex interactions between individual organisms and their environment. For example, the most often used multi-species models of fish communities only take into account the negative effect of predator-prey relations between fish species, that is, the mortality impact on the prey, but ignore the benefits of predation, the increase in mass of the predator. With an increasing demand for ecosystem based management this discrepancy between the models and the ecology becomes important to address. In this presentation I review how current fisheries models account for ecological processes. Subsequently, I will introduce a class of size-structured population models based on individual energetics that explicitly account for ecological interactions of individual fish. Analysis of models of this kind will be shown to not only increase our understanding of the mechanisms shaping fish community dynamics, but also make counterintuitive predictions about the outcome of fisheries management strategies. More specifically, it will be shown how intermediate levels of harvesting prey fish may promote rather than demote persistence of piscivores. Lastly, I will show how the same type of size-structured population models based on individual energetics can also be applied more generally, for example, to explain the persistent population oscillations that have been observed in Antarctic krill.
Bio: André de Roos’ research focuses on the relationship between individual life history and the dynamics of populations and communities. Whereas the main body of theory concerning population dynamics and community structure is based on the analysis of unstructured, Lotka-Volterra type population dynamic models, which ignore differences between individuals altogether, the defining feature of biological organisms is that they grow and develop throughout their life from the moment they are born till the moment they die. In between these individuals might reproduce, but the majority generally does not. Hence, after mortality ontogenetic development and growth in body size can be considered the most prominent life history processes, which furthermore commonly results in individuals playing a different ecological role in the different stages of their life history. Using a special class of physiologically structured population models, André de Roos theoretically explores the often counter-intuitive effects of density dependence in ontogenetic development on the dynamics and structure of marine communities.
note: Did you know that research courses at Friday Harbor Labs (FHL 450, 460, 470, and research apprenticeships) qualify for Mary Gates Research scholarships? For these you apply directly to FHL, so please read up on their process here or ask Joe for more information.
The MaryGates Endowment for Students is currently accepting scholarship applications. MaryGatesScholarships provide $5,000 ($2,500 per quarter for two quarters) for students to pursue leadership or research projects. These scholarships benefit students in the current academic year, and are open to all UW undergraduate students regardless of class year, major, residency status, or UW campus. Deadlines are coming up soon, so attend an information session!
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION SESSIONS:
New this year: weekly scholarship information sessions! Every week, undergraduate students can learn the basics about applying to scholarships. During Autumn quarter, the topics will alternate between Getting Started with Scholarships and Mary Gates Scholarships. Scholarship Information Sessions are held Fridays at 3:30-4:20 PM in MGH 171.
Getting Started with Scholarships dates:10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 12/1
Mary Gates Scholarships dates: 9/29 (today!), 10/13, 10/27, 11/17, 12/8
ADDITIONAL MARY GATES SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION SESSIONS:
The UW application for students interested in seeking nomination for the Goldwater Scholarship is now available! Brief details are included here, and further information and application instructions are at https://expd.uw.edu/expo/scholarships/goldwater. Please find a flyer attached as well. Please share with undergraduate sophomores and juniors (based on graduation date) in STEM fields engaged in research and planning for research careers!
GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS:
The BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP is designed to attract outstanding students into research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit to students who are sophomores or juniors during the current academic year and who have excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in and potential for research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The scholarship covers undergraduate eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, and room and board to a maximum of $7,500 per academic year.
Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2017-2018 academic year,
Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale,
Be a U.S. citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; a U.S. national for those students nominated by institutions in Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident.
Be nominated by their college or university. UW NOMINATION NOTE: To be competitive for nomination at UW, students should have a minimum of three quarters of research experience and a minimum GPA of 3.5.
UW INFORMATION SESSIONS
Attend an information session to learn more about eligibility and suitability for this competitive scholarship program, information about the campus application and nomination process, and assistance students will receive if selected as campus nominees. Please RSVP at:https://expo.uw.edu/expo/rsvp/event/241.
Recreational shark fishing in Florida: An interdisciplinary analysis of an emerging conservation issue
David Shiffman Liber Ero Postdoctoral Research Fellow Simon Fraser University
Thursday, September 28, 2017 4:00 pm Fishery Sciences Building, Room 102 Open advising about undergraduate programs hosted in FSH lobby from 3:30-4:00 pm
WORKING TO RESTRAIN A LEMON SHARK IN THE EVERGLADES PRIOR TO MEASUREMENT AND SAMPLING
Sharks are one of the most threatened groups of marine fishes, but the majority of research, advocacy, and management attention to date has focused on threats stemming from commercial fisheries. In this seminar, Dr. David Shiffman will present his interdisciplinary research on threats that sharks face from recreational fisheries in Florida, including charterboat fishing, land-based fishing, and trophy fishing. This research includes assessments of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of different groups of recreational shark anglers, as well as recommended policy solutions.
Dr. David Shiffman is a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Simon Fraser University, where his research focuses on sustainable shark fisheries in North America. He has a BS in Biology from Duke University, a Master in Marine Biology from the College of Charleston, and a PhD in Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami. David is also an award-winning science communicator, with bylines in the Washington Post and Scientific American, and interviews in Nature, National Geographic, CNN, and NPR. His widely followed twitter account @WhySharksMatter is used to educate non-experts about marine science and conservation. Please visit DavidShiffmanCV.com for more information.
This speaker is part of the weekly ‘Autumn Seminar Series’ at the UW School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences. For the full schedule, go to: fish.uw.edu
